This invention relates to cabinets for storing and dispensing prescription medications, non-prescription pharmaceuticals, catheters, bandages and dressings, medical supplies and other similar items for patient care in a hospital, clinic, nursing home, or similar health care facility. The invention is more specifically directed to an array of medical dispensing cabinets in which cabinet access is controlled, and inventory is maintained at a central hospital location, using software, with bar code scanning or RFID scanning to track authorized persons accessing the cabinet(s) and to track inventory items.
The term medications cabinet, as it appears in this specification, and claims is meant to include any cabinet that may be used for storing health-care related items, not limited to medications, but also including dressings, catheters, gloves, gowns, sterilized medical or dental implements, syringes, or many other items.
More specifically, the invention is directed to a controlled hospital supply storage system in which numerous controlled cabinets are linked together electronically and can be controlled and queried from a given location, and in which additional cabinets may easily be added to (or removed from) the system.
In any hospital or clinic, or in wards or floors of the hospital or health center, controlled access cabinets are used for storage of pharmaceuticals and of other limited-access medical supplies. The medications prescribed for patients need to be conveniently accessible for the authorized nurse staff, but also need to be protected from unauthorized access of prescription medications, controlled substances, and high-value medical supplies. Controlled medical cabinets for storing and dispensing pharmaceuticals and hospital supplies are distributed throughout the hospital, clinic, or other health care facility, so as to be located at or near the point of care, i.e., near the patient to which the pharmaceutical or other medical item is to be administered. These cabinets are desirably networked to a central hospital data system that can control access remotely and can maintain inventory for each cabinet. However, in a typical hospital supply system, the cabinets must each be independently connected with the hospital computer system. If a common type of computer bus is used, e.g., a USB hub, only a limited small number of cabinets can be linked with a given control computer. Current locking cabinets typically incorporate USB connections (for access to a computer) and may incorporate control circuitry with software for controlling unlocking functions and inventory functions. These may be capable of IP addressable configurations. Maintaining an accurate inventory for all the cabinets in the system is critical, so that the cabinets can be filled or replenished by pharmacy staff, and accessed by nursing staff to administer items to patients. The inventory should provide a record of which supplies and which medications are stored, and in what quantities, in which locking (or non-locking) compartments of which cabinet. There is a need for a system of medical supply cabinets that can be easily linked together, using reliable and low-cost communications equipment and cabling, to permit an unlimited number of cabinets to be controlled from a single computer station, using a straightforward software arrangement.